2024 Featured Performers & Stage, Dance Lesson Schedules

Celtic, tribal, Gypsy rock with an Appalachian steampunk edge. Their rhythmic groove and interaction naturally inspires audience participation, a staple of their performances. They mesh the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland with their own bold blend of mainstream rock, mountain drumming and Appalachian blues to produce a truly unique sound with universal appeal!

The Yeli Ensemble is a trio of musician dancers from Guinea, West Africa. Between them they play all traditional instruments, namely, the djembe, kora, balafon, krin, kinkini, bolon and samban. They also dance. The artists are all from the griot caste which means music and dance forms have been passed down from their ancestors since the height of the Mali Empire. For this performance, they will play all of the instruments that make up the wealth of their culture and dance to several, including a masked dance. At the end of the performance the audience will also be welcome to join.

Indian Classical & Folk Dance

Performing 4 dances: SINGKIL The Maranao prince and princess originally performed Singkil as a ritual for festivals and ceremonial rites of passage to establish their courtship; In KADTENDUNG DANCE, Ladies uses Scarves to display emotion and expression. Often performed in wedding and other ritual events; JOTA CAVITENO is a Spanish dance displaying the rhythm of the castanet and heels sound. Castanets fashioned from Bamboo provide clacking sounds adding to the lilting music; JOTA DE MANTONES from flamenco, where the shawl is an essential component to the dance, an extension of the movement of the dance artist.

Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance from India, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India. Evidence of Kuchipudi’s existence in an older version are found in copper inscriptions of the 10th century, and by the 15th century in texts such as the Machupalli Kaifat.Kuchipudi tradition holds that Tirtha Narayana Yati – a sanyassin of Advaita Vedanta persuasion, and his disciple, an orphan named Siddhendra Yogi, founded and systematized the modern version of Kuchipudi in the 17th century. Kuchipudi largely developed as a Hindu god Krishna-oriented Vaishnavism tradition, and it is known by the name of Bhagavata Mela in Thanjavur. The traditional Kuchipudi was performed by all males troupe. A dancer in a male role would be in Agnivastra, also known as Bagalbandi, wear a dhoti (a single pleated piece of cloth hanging down from the waist). A dancer in a female role would wear a Sari with light makeup.

A mix of traditional Bosnian sevdah songs as well as gypsy and folk music from the Balkan region. Instruments include guitar, prim, veillette and gryphone.

Sankofa African Drum and Dance Company is a Tennessee based performing arts company whose mission is to rally communities around the beat of the drum to unify, heal and inspire.

The symbol of Sankofa is that of a bird whose head is faced in the opposite direction of its body. Even though the bird is advancing, it periodically makes it a point to examine or return to its past, since this is the only way for one to have a better future.

Sankofa African Drum and Dance Company was founded by Maria Estes Hall in 2007 after receiving a call to organize the best of the best African Drummers and Dancers in the Tennessee area for a showcase. Little did she know, that show would birth a performing arts company that has now developed into the premier African Drum and Dance Company in Tennessee.

In addition to self-producing an annual Kwanzaa concert (since 2013) to sold-out crowds each year; Sankofa performs throughout the City of Nashville and the surrounding area frequently, at festivals, schools, community events and private events. They also host weekly community classes for adults and children in Nashville.

Sankofa is firmly rooted in educating and cultivating an appreciation for African culture and music. Sankofa understands the power of Unity and utilizes the medium of African Drum and Dance to tear down barriers that tend to divide communities. Sankofa believes that a community that drums and dances together stays together.

Award-winning, Chart-topping, Critically-acclaimed Reggae/World Music Artist Seefari has received extensive radio airplay worldwide and critical comparisons to reggae originators Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Pablo Moses. Seefari has won numerous awards and his music has been featured on TV and in films. The singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist has performed for hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic fans, headlining festivals across the USA. Seefari’s music mixes the soulful sound of classic reggae with healthy doses of dub, rock, jazz, Latin and African influences.

Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance in Lexington, Kentucky performs Raqs Sharqi (Eastern Dance of Egypt and Lebanon) as well as Turkish Orientale and Roma, and Raqs Khaleeji of the Persian Gulf Coast. These are the traditional dance styles of the Middle East and Mediterranean used at celebrations and as professional entertainment at the poshest hotels and restaurants. Their performances blend old traditional dance and music with more modern styles of the century. Flowing Silk Veils, the bright ring of finger cymbals, and colorful traditional costuming create a feast for the senses. Banat Nawaar is an eclectic group of performers led by Safiya Nawaar, who uses over 24 years of training in Raqs Sharqi to create lavish choreographies and theatrical performances that delight audiences across the US.

Latin ballroom dancing with elements of salsa and cha cha

Zimbabwean mbira is a danceable, hypotonic music with rich spiritual dimensions for the Shona people. Mbira dza Maungira (the echoing mbira) honors these deep ancestral roots while sharing Shona music, dance, and culture with their audiences. You’ll dance, you’ll sing, and you’ll enjoy a style of music that UNESCO considers part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Rachana Pasupuleti was 8 years old when she began performing at the Bowling Green International Festival in 2009. She has studied Bharatanatyam, a Classical form of Indian Dance since she was three years old. Bharatanatyam is one of the most ancient and exquisite dance forms in the World. It is one of the seven major classical dance forms of India and the most widely known. It is the classical dance style native to southern India, particularly the state of Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is a sublime artistic experience both for the performer and the audience. In addition to being an exquisite dance form, Bharatanatyam teaches concentration, physical and mental discipline and is an excellent physical activity for all ages.

Baile veracruz and jarabe tapatío dance.

Las Alazanas by Mariachi Vargas; Son de la negra by Mariachi Vargas; Un poco loco; Jarabe Tapatio

Performances will demonstrate the daily living of their lives back in the villages as they are from the hills of Myanmar. It will also illustrate the great hornbill, which is the official state bird and a national symbol among the people.